Following up on a strong Summer League showing, undersized big man Devontae Cacok is starting to make some waves at the next level with his high octane play. Cacok’s raw box score numbers won’t blow anyone away but he plays with infectious energy and seems to always be in a position to make the big play when the Lakers need one.
Sometimes Cacok can seem to play with a bit TOO much energy, though with time, the youngster should learn to play with more controlled chaos. With plus athleticism and a motor second to none, Cacok has the intangible tools to be an impact player in the NBA at some point down the line. Despite his intangibles, Cacok doesn’t have a refined game on either side of the ball right now and needs to find a way to keep his foul numbers down in order to stay on the court consistently.
On an Exhibit 10 deal and likely bound for the South Bay squad, Cacok could be a name worth keeping an eye on. Given the Lakers’ track record of developing quality talent in the G-League, Cacok should be in good hands and seems to have the tools necessary to succeed.
(10-15-2019 11:01 AM)70shawk Wrote: The Lakers rested their starters last night, so Cacock saw lots of PT in their win over Golden State.
29 Minutes . 16 points. 6 rebounds. Only one personal foul.
That's exactly the kind of stat line he needs if he's going go find his way to the roster. I'm going to go check the box score, but interested to see if the Warriors also rested starters.
Only legit starter last night for the Warriors who saw time on the court was Curry with 21 minutes. Regardless, still a great showing for Cacok who had the second highest point total for the Lakers on the night, and 4th highest overall on the game.
Though he has yet to provide some of the highlight reel plays we became accustomed to during Summer League, watching the Lakers play, you can’t help but notice how Cacok is seemingly involved in every play. He is undersized yet an incredible athlete who plays with an unmatched motor. Head coach Frank Vogel has seemingly noticed the potential impact he can have and as a result, Cacok has seen some quality minutes so far throughout the preseason.
While still incredibly raw and foul-prone, Cacok looks to be someone worth keeping an eye on as he has the raw physical and intangible tools to carve out a role for himself in the NBA. His size will always be somewhat of an issue but Cacok is helped a bit by the modern NBA trending towards smaller and more mobile bigs who are more capable of handling switches out on the perimeter.
There are two preseason games left before Tuesday's regular season tip. Keep an eye on Cacok's minutes in these games. IMO, more minutes as the stars are preparing for the rigor of the season and resting likely means an immediate ticket to the G league. Less minutes may be indicative of something better, especially because the Lakers are so thinned down due to injuries to key players they're going to be less inclined to play guys who they see as necessary during the start of the regular season.
The other thing that is really working in his favor is exactly that though, key injuries to bigs. Cacok may end up seeing significant time with LA if they sustain more.
(10-17-2019 09:32 AM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote: There are two preseason games left before Tuesday's regular season tip. Keep an eye on Cacok's minutes in these games. IMO, more minutes as the stars are preparing for the rigor of the season and resting likely means an immediate ticket to the G league. Less minutes may be indicative of something better, especially because the Lakers are so thinned down due to injuries to key players they're going to be less inclined to play guys who they see as necessary during the start of the regular season.
The other thing that is really working in his favor is exactly that though, key injuries to bigs. Cacok may end up seeing significant time with LA if they sustain more.
You could be right, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the opposite. With an 82 game season the starters might rest the last 2 preseason games. These guys take "load management" days and in a lot cases play themselves into shape during the season. Each team handles this differently so it will be interesting to see how this plays out for Cacok.
(10-17-2019 09:32 AM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote: There are two preseason games left before Tuesday's regular season tip. Keep an eye on Cacok's minutes in these games. IMO, more minutes as the stars are preparing for the rigor of the season and resting likely means an immediate ticket to the G league. Less minutes may be indicative of something better, especially because the Lakers are so thinned down due to injuries to key players they're going to be less inclined to play guys who they see as necessary during the start of the regular season.
The other thing that is really working in his favor is exactly that though, key injuries to bigs. Cacok may end up seeing significant time with LA if they sustain more.
You could be right, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the opposite. With an 82 game season the starters might rest the last 2 preseason games. These guys take "load management" days and in a lot cases play themselves into shape during the season. Each team handles this differently so it will be interesting to see how this plays out for Cacok.
I was thinking the same thing, and honestly the only thing that led me to believe the lesser minutes would be more apt to him making the roster is because of the Lakers being so thin of bigs. They really shouldn't risk any further unnecessary injuries with them. At this point, arguably the Lakers know what they have with Cacok. It's not like one or two more preseason games will suddenly show them something new. He's been given significant minutes already and displayed everything we saw for four years... at the top level. That's huge for him. Prior to summer league and preseason I thought his chances of seeing the court this year in LA were really small, if not non-existent. IMO, that has drastically changed. He's in a great position right now, and on the perfect team to get it done this year.
(10-17-2019 01:58 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote: I've got a fantasy NBA draft coming up on Monday. Yes, I play fantasy basketball (and Football, Baseball and Hockey. I have a problem).
Question is....Do I draft Cacok in the final round?
Heart: Yes
Objective Logic: No, wait to make him a FA pickup if he makes the final roster or gets called up.